Project by: Alyssa Higham About the Book Published: September 17, 2007 Setting: In and around the Warsaw Zoo in Warsaw, Poland during the German invasion of Poland in World War II. Situation: Antonina Zabinski, the so-called zookeeper's wife, must keep her strength and sanity in the midst of deep struggles as her beloved zoo and family (both humans and animals) are put in danger during the Nazi's invasion of Poland.
About the Author
Biography: Diane Ackerman was born in Waukegan, Illinois on October 7, 1948 and moved to Allentown, Pennsylvania when she was 8 years old. She studied at Penn State and earned a B.A. in English and then went on to continue her education at Cornell University, where she recieved several more degrees in Creative Writing and Literature. Diane has been married to Paul West since 1970, and currently lives in New York with no children. She has won several awards throughout her life, including the Orion Award for her novel The Zookeeper's Wife.
Other Major Works: Non-Fiction
A Natural History of the Senses (1990)
The Rarest of the Rare (1995)
One Hundred Names for Love: A Stroke, a Marriage, and the Language of Healing (2011)
Poems
"Wife of Light" (1978)
"Animal Sense" (2000)
"Origami Bridges" (2002)
Critical Reputation: Critics have mainly called Ackerman a "breathtaking" and "groundbreaking" author, and have said that she brings "a poet's eye, a sharp intellect, and meticulous research" to her writings.
To find out more about Diane Ackerman, visit her website
Diane Ackerman, author of The Zookeeper's Wife
Characters and Conflict
Antonina and Jan Zabinski caring for an injured bird
The two main characters in Diane Ackerman's non-fiction novel are Jan and Antonina Zabinski, with an emphasis on Antonina, the so-called zookeeper's wife. The story centers around these two who must keep their beloved Warsaw Zoo afloat in the midst of a war. After their zoo is bombed and destroyed, they are faced with the hard task of rebuilding their lives as well as the zoo and begin to use their surroundings to help others survive. With most of the animals that they once loved dead or missing, Jan and Antonina start to hide Jews in the empty cages in order to protect them from the wrath of Hitler and his army. They do this even though it brings much danger to their own lives and well-being. Antonina plays a special role in Ackerman's story, as she is the driving force behind the operation, and thus displays the strength and willpower of a young woman who is forced to piece together her life, as well as the lives of the unfortunate around her, in the midst of a war.
Theme In her book The Zookeeper's Wife, Diane Ackerman conveys the firm belief that when witnessing injustice, those that are able must do everything in their power to help the oppressed.
Review In her book The Zookeeper's Wife, Diane Ackerman writes a vividly detailed true story of Polish zookeepers during the time of World War II. She composes her story completely based off of diaries, interviews, artifacts, and photographs that belonged to, or were given by, Jan and Antonina Zabinski, the owners of the zoo, which allows the story to be completely authentic. Ackerman's writing is rich with imagery, information, and emotion, and appeals to animal- and history-lovers alike. It is definitely an enriching and beneficial read.
Style In The Zookeeper's Wife, Diane Ackerman uses vivid characterization to emphasize Antonina's connection to animals and the natural world. This helps to show how she effectively handles the chaos and terror going on around her in the human world.
"Antonina loved to slip out of her human skin for a while and spy on the world through each animal's eyes..." (Ackerman 25).
This quote from the novel shows how Antonina possesses a deep connection with the world of animals and is able to identify closely with them which aids her later when she is dealing with violence and death in the human world.
"Antonina especially has a gift for observing animal behavior, gleaning thoughts, feelings and intentions, and even bending the creatures to her will. Her ability to move peaceably around predators lends itself well to protecting family and boarders from German soldiers" (Vitone 2).
Ackerman also includes a light-hearted tone throughout her book in order to create a diversion from the heavy, morose story that is necessary when telling of war and destruction.
"'Adolf has to be stopped,' one of the keepers insisted. Jan knew he didn't mean Hitler but "Adolf the Kidnapper," a nickname given to the ringleader of the rhesus monkeys..." (Ackerman 29).
This quote shows how cute anecdotes are used to distract from the serious issue of war.
"The menagerie provides both a cover and a diversion for all who lived there - not to mention comic relief for the reader, as only Ackerman can deliver" (Vitone 2).
"Here is a true story - of human empathy and its opposite - that is simultaneously grave and exuberant, wise and playful" (Linfield 1).
Extras For a virtual tour of the Warsaw Zoo click here
Enables you to see what the Zabinskis saw.
To check out the zoo's official website click here
The website isn't in English, but provides great videos and pictures.
Fun Facts
Currently, the zoo covers about 99 acres in downtown Warsaw, and sees 600,000 visitors annually. It is home to over 4,000 animals including more than 500 species.
The Zookeeper's Wife is currently in the process of being made into a movie.
Works ConsultedAckerman, Diane. The Zookeeper's Wife. New York: W. W. Norton & Company, 2007. Print.
Vitone, Elaine. "True Story of Warsaw Zoo That Harbored Jewish Refugees During WWII." Rev. of The Zookeeper's Wife, by Diane Ackerman. SFGate: Home of the San Francisco Chronicle. Hearst Communications, Inc. Web. 13 Dec. 2011. <http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/09/09/RVA5RNJ4L.DTL>.
The Zookeeper's Wife
Project by: Alyssa Higham
About the Book
Published: September 17, 2007
Setting: In and around the Warsaw Zoo in Warsaw, Poland during the German invasion of Poland in World War II.
Situation: Antonina Zabinski, the so-called zookeeper's wife, must keep her strength and sanity in the midst of deep struggles as her beloved zoo and family (both humans and animals) are put in danger during the Nazi's invasion of Poland.
About the Author
Other Major Works:
Non-Fiction
- A Natural History of the Senses (1990)
- The Rarest of the Rare (1995)
- One Hundred Names for Love: A Stroke, a Marriage, and the Language of Healing (2011)
PoemsCritical Reputation: Critics have mainly called Ackerman a "breathtaking" and "groundbreaking" author, and have said that she brings "a poet's eye, a sharp intellect, and meticulous research" to her writings.
To find out more about Diane Ackerman, visit her website
Theme
In her book The Zookeeper's Wife, Diane Ackerman conveys the firm belief that when witnessing injustice, those that are able must do everything in their power to help the oppressed.
Review
In her book The Zookeeper's Wife, Diane Ackerman writes a vividly detailed true story of Polish zookeepers during the time of World War II. She composes her story completely based off of diaries, interviews, artifacts, and photographs that belonged to, or were given by, Jan and Antonina Zabinski, the owners of the zoo, which allows the story to be completely authentic. Ackerman's writing is rich with imagery, information, and emotion, and appeals to animal- and history-lovers alike. It is definitely an enriching and beneficial read.
Style
In The Zookeeper's Wife, Diane Ackerman uses vivid characterization to emphasize Antonina's connection to animals and the natural world. This helps to show how she effectively handles the chaos and terror going on around her in the human world.
Ackerman also includes a light-hearted tone throughout her book in order to create a diversion from the heavy, morose story that is necessary when telling of war and destruction.
Extras
For a virtual tour of the Warsaw Zoo click here
- Enables you to see what the Zabinskis saw.
To check out the zoo's official website click hereFun Facts
Works ConsultedAckerman, Diane. The Zookeeper's Wife. New York: W. W. Norton & Company, 2007. Print.
Linfield, Susie. "A Natural History of Terrible Things." Rev. of The Zookeeper's Wife, by Diane Ackerman. The Washington Post: Breaking News, World, US, DC News and Analysis. The Washington Post Company, 16 Sept. 2007. Web. 13 Dec. 2011. <http://www.washingtonpost.com/wpdyn/content/article/2007/09/13/AR2007091301895.html>.
Vitone, Elaine. "True Story of Warsaw Zoo That Harbored Jewish Refugees During WWII." Rev. of The Zookeeper's Wife, by Diane Ackerman. SFGate: Home of the San Francisco Chronicle. Hearst Communications, Inc. Web. 13 Dec. 2011. <http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/09/09/RVA5RNJ4L.DTL>.